Cranberry variety named &#39;CNJ99-9-96&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new cranberry variety distinguished by mid-season ripening, round to ovate fruit, high productivity, and moderate fruit anthocyanin development, as compared to the currently cultivated commercial varieties.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘CNJ99-9-96’

BACKGROUND

The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Alt.) is a temperate, woody perennial plant species native to North America. The United States is the largest producer, with Wisconsin and Massachusetts representing the majority of cranberry acreage and production, followed by New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Varieties that currently are commercially cultivated include selections from native populations, and first and second breeding and selection cycle hybrids. Significant acreage is still devoted to varieties that were selected from native cranberry populations from as far back as 1843, including ‘Ben Lear’, ‘Early Black’, ‘Howes’, ‘Lemunyon’, ‘McFarlin’ and ‘Searles’. First breeding and selection hybrid varieties were developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with state Agricultural Experiment Stations in the 1940's, and the program released a series of unpatented varieties in the 1950's including the most widely grown cultivar ‘Stevens’, which was selected from original test plots in Pemberton, N.J. During the 2000-2010 decade, patented and unpatented varieties from a second breeding and selection cycles have been introduced and grown commercially.

The bulk of cranberry production is for the processed market, including both juice and ‘sweetened dried cranberry’ (SDC) fruit products, where fruit having specific anthocyanin content (TAcy) ranges are desired. For SDC processors, certain fruit quality criteria are desired, including larger fruit size (>1.5 g/berry), a round fruit shape, mid-range TAcy, moderate to high titratable acidity (TA, 2.3-2.5 citric acid equivalents), and high soluble solids (Brix). Another important cranberry market is fresh fruit, where berry appearance and storage life are essential traits. For economic sustainability, cranberry growers require varieties with consistent high productivity, acceptable levels of disease tolerance to both fruit and vine diseases, and desired season of harvest.

In cranberry, varietal variation for crop productivity is a function of inherent differences among varieties for traits such as stolon vigor, upright (vertical reproductive shoots) density, inflorescence bud production, fruit set and fruit size. Varieties with high stolon vigor will establish more rapidly and reduce the number of years required to achieve maximal production. However, after stolon colonization of the bed, varieties must transition to optimal sexual reproduction mode, and optimal upright density, to achieve high crop production. Cranberry inflorescence bud primordia are set on uprights during the completion of the fruit development period and overwinter in a dormant state, before resuming growth the subsequent spring. Thus, the crop load of a given year, may impact the subsequent year's cropping, contributing to the pronounced biennial bearing habit common to many varieties. Productivity is also subject to environmental effects, e.g., heat and light intensity stresses, cold (frost) stress, water stress (drought and excess), disease, insects, certain pesticides, etc.

TAcy content is a fruit quality component of cranberry, usually having a minimum acceptable value. TAcy is typically measured as mg of total anthocyanin per 100 g fresh weight fruit, using a standard spectrophotometric method (@ 520 nm absorbance). For SDC products, there is a desired range, minimum and maximum, for TAcy, typically 20-40 mg total anthocyanins/100 g fresh weight. Earlier ripening varieties, which typically have higher TAcy, allow for earlier harvest of a crop. Anthocyanins are largely located in the fruit epidermis, which results in a generally larger fruit having lower TAcy.

New Jersey uniquely offers an ideal environment for cranberry breeding because of the climate, soils and water. Of all the cranberry production areas in North America, New Jersey conditions subject the cranberry to the highest disease pressure and heat stresses. The plant and developing fruit must tolerate high heat stress, and fruit and vegetative diseases during the growing season. Over 15 pathogens are known to incite cranberry fruit rot in New Jersey, and the fruit is also subject to heat scald and physiological breakdown. Thus, selection under New Jersey conditions offers the opportunity to identify varieties with higher resistance to disease, scald, and heat stress.

The Rutgers University cranberry breeding program, in Chatsworth, N.J., was initiated in 1985 to take advantage of this unique selection pressure. The program's methods were designed to duplicate, as much as possible, the environment of a commercial bed. Breeding plots of 1.5×1.5 m are established with multiple plants and allowed to ‘fill in’ to form a dense canopy. Two to three years after planting, yield of a given plot is evaluated over a four year minimum to provide for biennial bearing assessment. Parental selection is based on field phenotypic performance, and progeny performance of parental cross combinations based on the objectives of enhancing traits and/or combining the most desirable traits from both parents into one genotype, i.e., variety. Traits evaluated in this cranberry breeding program include yield, ripening season, fruit rot susceptibility/resistance, storage life, scald susceptibility, stolon and upright vigor, total anthocyanin content (TAcy), soluble solids (Brix), titratable acidity, and berry shape and appearance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a new and distinctive American cranberry variety, ‘CNJ99-9-96’, for the processed cranberry market, having a high crop yield potential, a mid-season ripening period, a round to ovate berry. ‘CNJ99-9-96’ is suited to most areas where cranberry is cultivated. The new disclosed variety ‘CNJ99-9-96’ resulted from a 1999 cross between the variety ‘NJS98-23’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,252) as the seed parent, with the ‘#35’ (unpatented) variety as the pollen parent. ‘#35’ is an unpatented variety from a ‘Howes×Searles’ cross. ‘#35’ was originally selected from a previous USDA/NJAES cranberry breeding program (Dana MN. Cranberry cultivar list (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Fruit Varieties J 37:88-95, 1983).

‘CNJ99-9-96’ was originally selected from 138 progeny growing in test plots in Chatsworth, N.J. for its very high yield potential, mid-season ripening, large round berry and uniform fruit color. In 2007, ‘CNJ99-9-96’ was selected for testing in advanced replicated selection trials in Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. ‘CNJ99-9-96’ exhibits consistently high yields with mid-season ripening. Although originally selected under New Jersey's environmental stresses, ‘CNJ99-9-96’ is suited to most cranberry growing areas.

The ‘CNJ99-9-96’ variety is distinguished from other cranberry varieties in having high yield fruit production with midseason ripening. Fruit are moderate to large with a nearly round shape.

‘CNJ99-9-96’ has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in Chatsworth, N.J. since 2007. Over that period, no evidence of ‘off-types’ of ‘CNJ99-9-96’ has been observed. ‘CNJ99-9-96’ appears genetically stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

The following description describes the cranberry variety ‘CNJ99-9-96’. The original plant and vegetative propagules were observed in a cranberry bed maintained with standard management practices for commercial cranberry production in Chatsworth, Burlington County, N.J. Certain characteristics of this variety, such as growth and color, may change with changing environmental conditions (e.g., light, temperature, moisture, nutrient availability, or other factors). Color descriptions and other terminology are used in accordance with their ordinary dictionary descriptions, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Color designations are made with reference to The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows ‘CNJ99-9-96’ fruit harvested September 2014 in Chatsworth, N.J.

The colors of an illustration of this type may vary with lighting and other conditions, therefore, color characteristics of this new variety should be determined with reference to the observations described herein, rather than from these illustrations alone.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the ‘CNJ99-9-96’ variety is based on observations of plants growing in the field in Chatsworth, N.J. The characteristics of the variety were compared to ‘Stevens’ and ‘Ben Lear’ (both unpatented), two widely used cranberry varieties. The observed plantings were 3-6 years of age.

-   Scientific name: Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. -   Parentage:     -   -   Seed parent.—the variety ‘NJS98-23’ (derived from a ‘Ben             Lear’×‘Stevens’ cross).         -   Pollen parent.—the variety ‘#35’ (derived from a             ‘Howes’×‘Searles’ cross). -   Plant:     -   -   Vigor.—General observations of ‘CNJ99-9-96’ plantings             indicate average plant vigor.         -   Growth habit.—trailing shrub with very slender stems.         -   Upright length: 8.1 cm (mean of 30 uprights).         -   Stem diameter.—1.2 mm at base of current year's growth (mean             of 30 stems).         -   Internodes.—internode length was 9 mm on 1-year old runners             (mean of 15 runners).         -   Productivity.—In established test plots in Chatsworth, N.J.,             ‘CNJ99-9-96’ yields were greater than ‘Stevens’ and ‘Ben             Lear’.         -   Hardiness.—Zones 4-7 (from USDA Misc. Publ. 814).         -   Disease resistance.—no disease resistance data available for             foliar or root pathogens; no unusual propensity to             foliar/stem diseases observed. -   Leaves: The length, width and other measurements were obtained from     observations of 30 typical fully developed leaves in September 2013.     Color was determined on actively growing plants.     -   -   Texture.—Coriaceous (leathery).         -   Length.—mean of 9.9 mm, with a maximum 12.2 mm.         -   Width.—mean of 3.8 mm, with a maximum width of 5.5 mm.         -   Shape.—Elliptic (2.6:1; length:width).         -   Apex shape.—rounded.         -   Base shape.—rounded, nearly sessile.         -   Margin.—entire, slightly revolute.         -   Leaf color.—Upper leaf surface color ranges from bright             green (143C, green group) in new growth to deep green in             mature leaves (139A to 137C, green group).         -   Pubescence.—non-glandular trichomes found along leaf margins             towards leaf apex. -   Flowers:     -   -   Size and shape.—Slender, nodding flowers on erect pedicels             and in clusters of typically 3-6 flowers; corolla long-conic             in bud, petals divided nearly to the base when open; typical             open flower measuring about 10 mm across.         -   Color.—Unopened bud: deep pink (70D, red-purple group).             Opened flower: pale pink (69C, red-purple group).         -   Petals.—4 petals per flower; narrow and revolute in shape.         -   Bloom season.—Bloom typically begins in early June and             continues throughout the month. Flowering phenology for             ‘CNJ99-9-96’ is similar to ‘Stevens’, with peak bloom             typically occurring between June 10 and 17 in New Jersey.         -   Mean number of flowers per upright.—4.8 (n=10). -   Fruit: Observations are from 30 typical fruit harvested from test     plots in Chatsworth, N.J. Sep. 18, 2013 and Oct. 5, 2014.     -   -   Shape.—very widely ovate to round (FIG. 1); fruit             length:width ratio of 1:1 to 1.2:1; calyx end slightly             indented to flat with unpronounced calyx lobes (FIG. 1).         -   Size.—In NJ, average size was 1.77 cm long (pedicel             end-calyx end) and 1.7 cm wide.         -   Skin.—shiny, slight waxy bloom around calyx (FIG. 1),             otherwise with slight scattered waxy bloom.         -   Color.—ranged from 46C (red group) for the lightest berries,             185A (greyed-purple group) for medium berries, to N186C             (greyed-purple group) for the darkest (harvested fall 2014).         -   Stem pit.—small and slightly indented 1.5 mm in diameter.         -   Average weight.—50 berry samples collected from test plots             in 2007-2010 had yearly mean berry weights ranging from 1.8             g to 2.4 g, with a maximum berry weight of 3.2 g.         -   Number of seeds.—Mean seed number per fruit was 16; with a             maximum of 45 seeds/fruit observed.         -   Fruit chemistry.—100 g samples of fruit were harvested each             year from test plots in Chatsworth, N.J. and evaluated for             fruit chemistry. TAcy in early-mid September ‘CNJ99-9-96’             (12 mg/100 g FW), is less than ‘Ben Lear’ (24 mg/100 g FW)             and greater than ‘Stevens’ (5 mg/100 g FW). ‘CNJ99-9-96’ had             titratable acidity values ranging from 2.0% to 2.6%, and             Brix values of 7.5% mid-Sept to 9.0% late-Sept-Oct.         -   Fruit production.—‘CNJ99-9-96’ season is mid-season,             ripening after early varieties (e.g., ‘Ben Lear’,             ‘NJS98-23’), and before later season varieties (‘Stevens’             and ‘CNJ97-105-4’; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,434).         -   Usage.—most suitable for processed cranberry products and             fresh fruit.         -   Disease resistance.—In New Jersey, where disease pressure is             severe, and in Wisconsin, ‘CNJ99-9-96’ typically has less             fruit rot than ‘Stevens’. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of cranberry plant, substantially as herein shown and described. 